Public updated on Heanor Grammar School plans

Dan Hayes

Campaigners have unveiled plans to transform the former Heanor Grammar School building in to a “thriving community hub”.

Members of the Heanor Grammar School Action Group hope to preserve the former school site and turn the building in to a space for education, training, cinema, drama, arts and small businesses.

Campaigner Leonie George said the plans would be connected to the redevelopment of Market Place, High Street and the park and bring together a “place for all” in Heanor.

However, on order to do this they need to raise enough money to buy and insure it themselves, or alternatively to find a sympathetic partner to work with to develop the site.

She said: “We want to keep the site being used by the community, as opposed to it being sold off.

“So we had a major survey commissioned to find out what people would want from it.”

The group hosted a meeting to update residents on their plans and present the results of the survey.

Leonie said: “The meeting was very well attended by a broad cross-section of Heanor people and those who came asked all the right questions.

The survey polled more than 1,000 residents and found most people have a negative perception of the town and the vast majority want a community space.

Derby College, which owns the former South East Derbyshire College site on Mundy Street, put the building up for sale after the college dropped plans to turn the derelict building into a £4.5 million digital studio college.

A spokesman for the college said: “There has been a great deal of interest in the Mundy street site.

“We continue to assist the community group as they undertake their feasibility and consultation work regarding the site.”